After an absence of two and a half years from the brand, I have decided to buy another BMW

Having got the urge for a sporty roadster, I looked at Caymans and Boxsters (too expensive from OPCs) and stumbled across the Z4 last weekend when I happened to be in Williams BMW in Manchester, primarily to look at an E46 M3 convertible. I loved the M3 (it was a half hearted look though). I sat in a new Z4, was immediately taken by the look, shape, interior and the practicality of the retracting roof and I really liked the new iDrive and the latest pro nav, far better than the Nav in my old 335d.

I went away, researched prices, drove the Z4 M Sport and made my mind up. I looked at ex demo's and ex BMW management cars but they all stretched the budget. I discovered yesterday that BMW UK do special deals for UK military personnel and rang BMW Park Lane this morning to talk to their specialist. The deal was brilliant - about 9% discount off list and a subsidised finance rate of 5.7% APR. I ordered this car for a 1 December delivery:

It may not be the fastest, or the best engine, but it is perfect for me, and seems to be the one that gets the best reviews. I decided on the 19"s, they look fantastic but am aware that I need to be avoiding pot holes! It looks like this:

So I am selling the Octavia vRS. If anyone is interested please PM me!

All being well, tomorrow afternoon I'll be saying goodbye to my very faithful 'friend' the S5.........sad in many ways.

Lets just say after much research and back to back test drives I had to make a decision and for the first time in my car owning history so far, it was a tough decision as to which one to choose! Long story short it's German and the engine is an absolute peach, both in power delivery and noise and it grips the tarmac like shit to a blanket lol.

All being well, tomorrow afternoon I'll be saying goodbye to my very faithful 'friend' the S5.........sad in many ways.

Lets just say after much research and back to back test drives I had to make a decision and for the first time in my car owning history so far, it was a tough decision as to which one to choose! Long story short it's German and the engine is an absolute peach, both in power delivery and noise and it grips the tarmac like shit to a blanket lol.

That means that you should be thinking about bringing this new car to the Nurburgring in October... come on, you'll have a brilliant time I promise that! You could even take the ferry from Hull to Zeebrugge and meet up with the rest of us en route

And Peter - lovely car Have you thought about asking the dealer to supply the car on non-runflats instead of the Bridgestones? I know of a couple of dealers who have done that for customers, at no extra cost. I drove two different Z4s back-to-back, one a 35i on runflats, and the other a 23i on regular Continentals. The 23i was a MUCH better drive, despite the power deficit.

All being well, tomorrow afternoon I'll be saying goodbye to my very faithful 'friend' the S5.........sad in many ways.

Lets just say after much research and back to back test drives I had to make a decision and for the first time in my car owning history so far, it was a tough decision as to which one to choose! Long story short it's German and the engine is an absolute peach, both in power delivery and noise and it grips the tarmac like shit to a blanket lol.

That means that you should be thinking about bringing this new car to the Nurburgring in October... come on, you'll have a brilliant time I promise that! You could even take the ferry from Hull to Zeebrugge and meet up with the rest of us en route

Tempting thought tbh, but time off work and money makes it a no go. Maybe another time.